Proverbs 27:19-27 — Baa.... Baaaa... BAAAAAHHHH...

READ THIS: Proverbs 27:19-27

19 As water reflects the face, so one’s life reflects the heart. 20 Death and Destruction are never satisfied, and neither are human eyes. 21 The crucible for silver and the furnace for gold, but people are tested by their praise. 22 Though you grind a fool in a mortar, grinding them like grain with a pestle, you will not remove their folly from them. 23 Be sure you know the condition of your flocks, give careful attention to your herds; 24 for riches do not endure forever, and a crown is not secure for all generations. 25 When the hay is removed and new growth appears and the grass from the hills is gathered in, 26 the lambs will provide you with clothing, and the goats with the price of a field. 27 You will have plenty of goats’ milk to feed your family and to nourish your female servants.

WHAT’S THIS MEAN, ANYWAY?

These verses talk all about what comes naturally to us as well as how important it is to live differently than what is natural! Verse 20 reminds us that our eyes (what we naturally desire in life) will never be satisfied... there's a reason Solomon compares them to death and destruction! Verse 21 reminds us that the things we praise (and how we respond to our own praises) shape and test us, the same way that gold and silver are tested in fire! Lastly, verse 23 tells us that the foolish will remain the same, no matter how much testing they go through... only God can change them. 
 
It's natural for us to seek after the things our eyes desire. It's natural for us to seek praise and even live for praise. It's natural for us to seek foolishness. All of these things lead to death, and they certainly aren't how God calls us to live... so what should we do?

Verses 24-27 give us the answer: intentionally care for the people around us! Whether you know it or not, God has placed you in charge of a flock of people, just like a shepherd who cares for their sheep. Just like sheep, we can get lost, make not so wise decisions, and stumble. But good shepherds care for their sheep and teach them how to walk in the right direction. They protect their sheep and defend them from any kind of danger. Most importantly, they love their sheep! Jesus taught us what it looked like to be a good Shepherd, and we can learn how to care for our flocks by following His example, even when it doesn't come naturally. Verses 26 and 27 say that when we do this, our future will be full of fruitfulness!

THINK ABOUT IT:

1. Who are the sheep that God has called you to take care of? Who are the people in your life that shepherd you?

2. Check out verse 19 (don't worry, I didn't forget about it)... when you look at your life, what does it show you and others about your heart?

TRY THIS:
 
Being a shepherd is tough work, and it requires courage! This week, if you see one of your "sheep" straying away from Jesus, have the courage to call them out in love and point them in the right direction!

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Galatians 2:1-5 — Marathon Training

R EAD THIS:  Galatians 2:1-5 1 Then after fourteen years, I went up again to Jerusalem, this time with Barnabas. I took Titus along also. 2 I went in response to a revelation and, meeting privately with those esteemed as leaders, I presented to them the gospel that I preach among the Gentiles. I wanted to be sure I was not running and had not been running my race in vain. 3 Yet not even Titus, who was with me, was compelled to be circumcised, even though he was a Greek. 4 This matter arose because some false believers had infiltrated our ranks to spy on the freedom we have in Christ Jesus and to make us slaves. 5 We did not give in to them for a moment, so that the truth of the gospel might be preserved for you.   WHAT’S THIS MEAN, ANYWAY? Yesterday, we learned about how Paul went to Jerusalem and shared the incredible things Jesus did, but today, we are hearing about Paul's second time visiting Jerusalem... 14 years later. Paul talks about a bunch of things that happened ...
Read more

Luke 8:19-21 — Jesus's Fam!

R EAD THIS:  Luke 8:19-21 19 Now Jesus’ mother and brothers came to see him, but they were not able to get near him because of the crowd. 20 Someone told him, “Your mother and brothers are standing outside, wanting to see you.” 21 He replied, “My mother and brothers are those who hear God’s word and put it into practice.” WHAT’S THIS MEAN, ANYWAY? Ummmm, hold up, is Jesus dissing on His family here? I mean, I know He is God's Son and all, but at first glance, this passage makes it seem like He is kind of hating on His family! However, if we really look into this passage, it's actually a lot more about us than it is about the family of Jesus.  In case you forgot, the last few passages have features Jesus telling and explaining different parables to a large crowd as well as His disciples. Clearly, the crowd has gotten so large that Mary and Jesus's brothers (yes... Jesus had brothers!) couldn't even reach Him. When someone told Jesus "hey dude, your fam is here an...
Read more

WELCOME BACK! Hebrews Introduction

WELCOME BACK TO DEEPLY ROOTED!!! Greetings fellow Bible readers and Jesus journey-ers! We're stoked to get back in the swing of things with y'all. For any new readers, this section would usually be where our handful of Bible verses will be. The section below would break down what in the world the verses mean. Then, there are some debrief questions for you to dive deeper and an application point. A new addition this year is the Song of the Week! We'll share a song that ties into the theme of the next few verses...if you gaze ahead and have song suggestions, comment below or text! HEBREWS INTRODUCTION: As with any book of the Bible, different Biblical scholars say different things about this letter, but we'll tell you the most probable take. So here it is: Hebrews is a letter written to a group of Jews who were being persecuted for deciding to follow Jesus. It is a letter to encourage them and to show that Jesus truly is the best person to follow despite how hard it was g...
Read more